


Call Me But Love

by komorebirei, mireille (komorebirei)



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrimouse, ChatMouse, F/M, Flirting, Fluff, Humor, IDENTITY SHENANIGANS, Identity Reveal, Inspired by Emojis, Marichat, Multichat - Freeform, Romance, Since essentially that’s what Multichat is, Snekmouse - Freeform, Too Many Sides of the Love Polygon, Tumblr Prompts, adrienette - Freeform, ladrien, lighthearted shenanigans, reverse crush, written on the fly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-27
Updated: 2020-04-05
Packaged: 2021-02-28 07:20:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 16,330
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22930108
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/komorebirei/pseuds/komorebirei, https://archiveofourown.org/users/komorebirei/pseuds/mireille
Summary: “Hey, your tail is just like mine! Howpawsomeis that?” Chat Noir pointed delightedly at the jump-rope wound around Multimouse’s hips.“Purr-typawsome,”Multimouse drawled indulgently, with a little roll of her eyes and an amused smirk. Anyway, there was nothing urgent demanding their attention. She had reluctantly donned the mouse miraculous after the umpteenth time Chat had pestered Ladybug about letting Marinette join in the regular patrols like the other heroes, and he’d been over the moon ever since she showed up at the meeting place.Chapter One:Standalone Ladynoir DrabbleChapter Two through Eight:Miniseries ft. Multichat, Dragonbug, Snekmouse, etc.(A collection of drabbles inspired by Emsylcatac's emoji game that I decided to stitch together.)
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 306
Kudos: 713





	1. just like you shielded me

**Author's Note:**

  * For [emsylcatac](https://archiveofourown.org/users/emsylcatac/gifts).



> Gifting this to Emsy because she’s awesome and I wouldn’t have written this if not for the fun game she came up with.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [Prompt](https://mireilletan.tumblr.com/post/611090784464289792/ask-game-emoji-story): ❤️🥺🌧️😍😘 _With the lovesquare? (you choose aha)_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a standalone Ladynoir drabble, but starting in chapter two, it's going to be a multi-chapter short story starting with Multichat. I decided last minute the drabbles were going to be connected, and this one's the anomaly. ^^;
> 
> Anyway, enjoy!

Adrien sighed as his transformation melted away, back pressed against the cold concrete of an anonymous wall behind an anonymous Chinese restaurant. A short outcrop shielded him from the torrential rainfall, and flyaway droplets teased the tip of his nose as he contemplated how many steps he could take before he would get utterly drenched.

Probably half of one.

Not that it mattered, anyway. Ladybug had been _extra_ magnificent today, which meant he felt _extra_ miserable. The rain was just the cherry on top. He peeked into his bag to make sure Plagg had found the wedges of cheese he had stashed within, and steeled himself for the walk home. The kwami wouldn’t be in any condition to transform him for another hour or so, after _that_ thrashing.

He stepped out and immediately felt the warm midsummer raindrops soak through his clothes like unwelcome fingers. Gritting his teeth, he turned up the collar of his overshirt in a feeble attempt to fend off the wetness.

He was four blocks away from home when he suddenly found himself swept literally off his feet. He wasn’t sure whether the swoop in his belly was because of the sudden change in altitude or because of whose strong-yet-supple arms held him aloft, bridal-style.

“Ladybug!” he spluttered through the onslaught of rainwater. “Thank you.”

“It’s the least I could do for the boy who lent me his umbrella once,” she whispered in his ear as she set him down in his bathroom, the window of which he had conveniently left open for re-entry purposes. “Sorry I didn’t find you sooner, had to recharge. Hurry and get dry before you _cat_ -ch cold, Chaton.”

With a wink, she threw her yo-yo, blew him a kiss, and disappeared.

It wasn’t until Adrien has picked up his jaw from the fact that she had called him _Chaton_ —how??—and the sweet pun, that her first words registered in his mind.

He hadn’t remembered ever lending his umbrella to anyone except…

 _Marinette_. Then that meant…

It was all he could do to keep from squealing aloud in joy. Heart in his throat, he scanned the rooftops for the love of his life, but she was already long gone.


	2. let me show you the world

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [Prompt](https://mireilletan.tumblr.com/post/611090784464289792/ask-game-emoji-story): 😍😊😁😶😭 _Multmouse and Chat Noir._ 😁

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *struggles not to edit*
> 
> Note that this chapter is the start of “Call Me But Love,” a seven-chapter love polygon series. Not related to the previous chapter in any way except that these are all emoji prompts.

“Hey, your tail is just like mine! How _pawsome_ is that?” Chat Noir pointed delightedly at the jump-rope wound around Multimouse’s hips.

 _“Purr_ -ty _pawsome,”_ Multimouse drawled indulgently, with a little roll of her eyes and an amused smirk. Anyway, there was nothing urgent demanding their attention. She had reluctantly donned the mouse miraculous after the umpteenth time Chat had pestered Ladybug about letting Marinette join in the regular patrols like the other heroes, and he’d been over the moon ever since she showed up at the meeting place.

“You were _brilliant_ in the fight against Kwami Buster,” Chat gushed like a fanboy, elbow jostling hers as he kept in stride with her on their rooftop jog. “I wish Ladybug would use you more.”

“Well, you know my identity, so that’s why she doesn’t,” Multimouse explained matter-of-factly, taking a sharp turn to see how well he’d keep up.

He yelped as he tried to wheel himself around faster, and Multimouse giggled.

“Only Ladybug and I know,” Chat protested as soon as he caught up to her again.

“So that gives you a weakness.” Multimouse poked him squarely in the belly to emphasize the word _weakness,_ but he didn’t flinch.

“This is tickle-proof material, Princess,” he taunted. “Besides, I don’t see how my _amazing, smart_ friend fighting beside me would be a weakness,” he added with a too-sincere, doting smile.

Cheeks coloring, Multimouse spared her dignity by whipping out her tail to swipe Chat’s feet from under him, sending him face-first into the roof. “See? I’m distracting you! We don’t have friends out on the battlefield, only trusted fellow soldiers!”

Schooling her face into a stern expression, Multimouse put her hands on her hips.

“Okay, so I got distracted for a moment.” Chat brushed himself off, unharmed, still grinning broadly. “But look at you now, whipping me into shape! We’re like Morpheus and Neo. If anything, you’re making me a better, stronger superhero. —By the way, you’re adorable when you go all fierce like that. I bet _you_ could be the team leader.”

It struck Multimouse as absurd how much _more_ infatuated he was acting now than when she was Ladybug. So absurd that a laugh erupted from her chest, and she doubled over in an attempt to contain it.

Chat’s smile turned a little sheepish, but he chuckled along with her, despite not quite knowing what was so funny.

“Maybe we…” Multimouse wiped a tear from her eye. “Maybe we should just continue patrol.”

“Yeah, let’s do that,” Chat agreed quickly, rubbing the back of his neck self-consciously, before an idea struck him—partly because he wasn’t over the novelty of patrolling with Marinette and couldn’t pass up the opportunity to show off a little. “Hey, you know how we could get a great view of the city?”

Multimouse cocked an eyebrow. “How?”

Chat unhooked his baton and threw it whirling into the air, giving it a couple more spins around his hand as he caught it. “My trusty weapon has certain _purr_ -ks.” He flashed a smile and extended the staff to the ground, beckoning to Multimouse with his free hand.

Groaning at the pun, Multimouse feigned reluctance to let him wrap his arm around her waist.

And then they were hurtling into the air.

“I know you’re good at jumping, but your nimble feet won’t get you _this_ high,” Chat murmured, right into her ear to be heard over the rush of air shooting past them.

Multimouse had experienced this before as Ladybug. There wasn’t much more thrilling than seeing this view growing exponentially larger and larger as she plummeted from the sky in a free-fall, but she pretended to be surprised and enchanted by the sight of Paris sprawling below them like a child’s playmat.

“This really _is_ amazing, Chat.” After sweeping a glance over the city, she turned and swiped her finger down the curve of his nose teasingly. “Did you give Rena Rouge the grand tour on her first patrol, too?”

And that’s when it all hit him, smack in the face, with the abrupt intensity of Ladybug crashing into him on his first day as a superhero. Because of course not—he hadn’t even _considered_ showing Rena Rouge, or anyone else, this view.

It hit him how special it felt that he and _Marinette_ were running around on rooftops together, how much he wanted to see her eyes light up with pleasure at how great all of this was, how much he wanted to make her laugh and think he was cool, how much he admired her intelligence and skill and strength—

How had he _not known_ he was in love with her?

Rendered speechless, his heart thundered against his chest, and if not for the suit providing extra gripping strength, they would have both slid down to earth from how sweaty his palms felt. “Y-you know…” He tore his eyes away from her piercing blue and, feeling woozy, pressed the release button on the baton. The air cooling his cheeks on the way down felt like a relief. “It was kind of hard to see details from up there, anyway.”

She only laughed, oblivious to his revelation.

—

“Why does this keep happening to me, Plagg?” Adrien buried his face in his pillow, literal tears in his eyes.

Plagg snickered. It was all so amusing.

“This is even worse than Ladybug, Plagg,” Adrien lamented. “What am I going to do?”

There was no hope… he hadn’t fallen for just anyone. He had fallen for none other than Marinette ‘too-awesome-for-this-world’ ‘in-love-with-Luka’ ‘just-a-friend’ Dupain-Cheng!


	3. when the mouse traps the cat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [Prompt:](https://mireilletan.tumblr.com/post/611090784464289792/ask-game-emoji-story) 😅😊😜😶😍 _Multimouse and chat noir pretty please?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A 'continuation' of the previous chapter, ' **let me show you the world**.'

“Chat, watch out—!”

He turned just in time to see brick fill his vision and brace himself for the inevitable collision, before he was yanked to safety.

“Are you feeling okay?” Multimouse scrutinized his eyes, gripping him by the bell to bring his face close.

He laughed nervously, a hand going to his neck reflexively. He definitely hadn’t been thinking of swiping a morning glory from a flower box across the street just because it matched the shade of Multimouse’s eyes. “Perfectly fine, Princess!”

 _Passing up such a ripe opportunity for a pun?_ Multimouse peered harder, suspiciously, and Chat recoiled with a gulp, eyes widening. “You’ve been even clumsier than me since patrol started! What’s the matter?”

“Um… that’s because… I think I’m having a growth spurt!” He blurted out, starting to panic as he felt a traitorous blush bloom uncontrollably over his cheeks. “Nothing’s wrong with me, no need to worry.”

“Hmm.” Multimouse stepped back, eyes still narrowed, and mimed a gesture of pointing into her own eyes, then his. “I’m watching you, kitty.”

“Hope you enjoy the view, then.” The words were out before he could stop himself, and he felt the blush intensify. _Oops._ He had no intentions to flirt with her as Chat Noir, especially since he knew her as Adrien. To distract her from his face, which must look like a tomato now, he flexed his biceps comically.

Multimouse snorted and reached out to ruffle a hand through his hair, raking fingernails behind his cat ears. “Well, looks like you’re back to normal.”

A purr rasped up his chest and out of his throat before he could swallow it down with embarrassment, which only made Multimouse squeal in glee.

“It is _so funny_ that you do that!” She laughed, covering her mouth. “Like a real cat!”

“Well, I’m not the only one affected by their miraculous—you sound pretty squeaky yourself, Princess,” Chat teased lightly, wishing she would put her hand back where it was.

“Hey!” She pouted. “I am not squeaky.”

“I mean—it’s cute,” Chat qualified, a goofy grin stretching across his lips as her pout melted. “You’re cute. Your buns are cute.”

Multimouse gasped, looking aghast. “Chat _Noir!”_

His face went crimson as he realized the possible interpretation of his words. “P-princess, what are you thinking about?! I meant the buns on your head. Your hair! Your hair is really cute.”

Her cheeks reddened to match his. “Why are you being so weird? Come on, we’re wasting time. We haven’t gone round the east side yet!”

She leapt away in a blur of grey and pink, jump-rope tail tossing behind her, and Chat Noir followed close on her heels in a blissful daze.

He was in trouble for sure, but it was so _easy_ to love her.


	4. it's a team dynamic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: 😑🥰🤦🏻🍍😂 With Adrienette?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter continues from the previous one. I decided to make the rest of the emoji prompts part of a continuous story that started in chapter two, so here we go.

Marinette was rudely awoken by the sound of giggles, which wasn’t uncommon these days. Her classmates had actually taken Alya’s #MarinetteChallenge suggestion seriously, and there was now a whole Instagram account devoted to Bustier class selfies featuring a sleeping Marinette, and they had started introducing random props.

“Bug off,” Marinette muttered, snatching Kim’s swim trunks off her head and hurling them at their owner. When she caught Adrien’s apologetic face (devoid of any mocking) amongst the throng of schoolmates that had gathered around her desk, she hastened to add, “except you.”

His face brightened under her attention, and he reached out to pat her on the shoulder. “You okay, Marinette? Sorry, I tried to talk them out of the swim trunks.”

“Thanks… I believe you.” Marinette cracked a wry smile. “I’m fine, just tired.”

Adrien was so sweet to be concerned. Unlike the rest of her classmates playing that silly game—she could see Alix and Kim snickering over a phone, Alya looking on like a dutiful ringleader. Some great best friend _she_ was. Marinette was sure to find a new picture on that blasted Instagram the next time she checked. It didn’t help that it was _their_ faults she was so tired.

After weeks of accompanying each of them on patrols, to make sure they were adjusting well to their powers and weren’t going to abuse them (couldn’t be too safe), and combined with homework and student council meetings and babysitting Manon and helping at the bakery, sleep had long become an afterthought.

—

The girls, plus Ivan, Nino, and Adrien, were supposed to see a movie together that afternoon—but as soon as they stepped beyond the school gate, Marinette smashed her face into her palm and groaned.

“What?” Alya asked.

“I forgot… Maman has a special order and I told her I’d help with the regular bakery stuff,” Marinette grumbled morosely. “I can’t come, sorry.”

“I’ll help!” Adrien offered.

Marinette’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “But you’ll miss the movie.” She knew how rare it was for him to actually be able to go.

“So?” He shrugged and gave her a bright smile. “I’ll still be with a friend—that’s the important part.”

If she hadn’t already been in love with him, she would have fallen right then.

“Maybe we can all help,” Alya suggested.

Adrien turned to her, open-mouthed. He wouldn’t have argued, but his disappointment was too clearly written in his communicative eyebrows. Alya’s expression shifted into a sly one. 

“—Never mind, you two have fun. We’ll catch you later!”

—

“Um… Marinette?”

“Hm?” Marinette looked up from the batch of tarts she was topping with pineapple slices.

“I may need your help.” Adrien looked sheepish.

“With what?” Marinette leaned over to check what he was doing, to find chunks of pineapple lying around on the counter in front of him like a fruiticide crime scene. She stifled a giggle. “What happened here?”

“I was trying to cut them into hearts, but they keep falling apart.” He pouted. “I’m heartbroken.”

Marinette’s giggles spilled between her fingers. 

“You’re laughing at me?” Adrien feigned a wounded look, secretly relieved that she wasn’t angry at him for wasting perfectly good pineapple slices.

“No, no, I’m not laughing at you, it’s just—cute,” Marinette tittered.

“You’re not mad?” He ventured. “Sorry for taking creative liberties with the tarts without asking.”

“It’s okay! I’m sure heart-shaped pineapples tarts will be a hit,” Marinette reassured. “Don’t worry about the broken pieces… they’ll make a good topping, too. Here, let me try.”

She was so busy being proud of her achievement of speaking to Adrien without stuttering or panicking, she completely missed the way he flinched and blushed when their fingers made contact.

“There, how’s that?”

Adrien regarded the expertly cut pineapple heart in awe. “It’s perfect! You’re amazing.”

Marinette’s cheeks went rosy. “It’s nothing. Anyway, you can use that one as a guide to trace around for the others.”

Adrien nodded, accepting the knife she handed back. “Thanks for your help, Marinette!”

Marinette smiled. “I should be thanking you. It means a lot to me that you’d miss the movie to help me.”

This time, she noticed the blush that lit up his cheeks. “Anything for you, Marinette.”

Did he always look at her that way? (Maybe. It made her feel warm inside, but then again, he always did that.)

Regardless, this was good. They could work together without disasters happening.

Maybe it was time to reintroduce him to Team Miraculous.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (By the way, I feel it necessary to point out that I am not an Alya salter. Marinette knows she's a great best friend and loves her with all her heart.)


	5. it's easier to look back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Ladrien 😋👍😘💋🤗

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ... Okay, so it's not quite Ladybug, but this counts as Ladrien! Sort of a setup chapter, but I hope it's enjoyable anyway.
> 
> Edit: I ended up rewriting a portion of the beginning of this chapter. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

“Psst!”

Adrien’s ears perked up, and he scanned his surroundings. A nearby bush shook unnaturally, and he narrowed his eyes on it.

The leaves parted, revealing a red and black mask. _Ladybug!_ No, those were definitely the same blue eyes, but the disguise featured a splash of gold and winglike ears— _Dragonbug._

Adrien glanced around to see if Vincent was paying attention. The photographer was engaged in a side conversation with the supervising designer from Gabriel. Adrien turned back to the bush.

Dragonbug put a finger to her lips and smiled, waggling her eyebrows to send the nonverbal message that she had a plan. With a flick of her wrist, a small-but-strong gale of wind snatched the hat from Adrien’s head, sending it flying behind the patch of shrubbery she was currently hiding behind.

_Ah!_

Vincent took note of the hat’s flight like a vigilant watchdog. Adrien gestured toward the bush and mouthed that he would go and get it, to which Vincent flashed him a thumbs-up.

Released, Adrien ambled behind the bush at an unhurried pace, so it wouldn’t seem too conspicuous if he took his time coming back.

“Sorry to interrupt you during a photoshoot,” Dragonbug began in a rush, “it’s just that I didn’t know when I’d see you next, and it seemed risky to knock on your window for something like this.”

“Something like what?” Adrien scooted forward, to fully conceal himself behind the bush.

Dragonbug fixed Adrien with a somber expression. “I have an important question for you, Adrien, and I’d like you to answer in _complete_ honesty.”

“What is it?” Adrien prompted, a little unnerved.

“Would you like to be a _permanent_ miraculous holder?” Dragonbug asked.

Adrien blinked. He hadn’t been expecting that at all, and while he was flattered she would think of him, he already _was_ a permanent miraculous holder, so...

“Why me?”

On top of that, due to the fact that he was almost always accompanied by someone in public and meeting up discreetly to deliver the miraculous usually posed complications (at least, he assumed that was the reason), Aspik hadn’t even been part of the regular rotation of superhero patrols. He had figured he’d never get the snake miraculous back again after Desperada, anyway.

“Hawkmoth doesn’t know your identity yet,” Dragonbug explained. “It seemed suitable for you to be the first to keep your miraculous. But first… I’d like to know if you feel ready for that. I know _I_ never had a choice in the matter, but it’s a lot of responsibility, so… I wanted to give _you_ the choice. It can take a toll on you… as I think you know.”

Dragonbug’s eyes softened, thinking about all his attempts to save her during the fight with Desperada. It was precisely why she had decided to give him a different miraculous this time, so there wouldn’t be the danger of him going through the same horrific experience again.

“So,” she concluded, “If you have any reservations, _please_ let me know. You don’t have to do this.”

She waited for his answer.

Adrien nodded. He wanted to tell her ‘yes,’ but worries started to crowd his mind. Ladybug knew him _very_ well. What if he acted too similarly to Chat Noir? He’d accidentally given himself away a few hundred times during those twenty-five thousand, nine-hundred-thirteen Second Chances. What if Chat Noir and Aspik had to be in the same place at the same time? Maybe this would be a bad idea… again. Maybe he should suggest Ladybug find someone else. That would be the responsible thing to do.

“You’d be patrolling with Multimouse for now,” Dragonbug went on as an afterthought, giving more information since he seemed to be debating still, “so it’s not like you’d be thrust into battle right away like last time. I’m sorry about that—it was a lot to ask of you. And if you ever decide you don’t want to do it anymore, you can always just tell me, okay? Never feel bad about anything.”

The latter half of Dragonbug’s explanation seemed to fade out, and the worries dissipated from Adrien’s mind like water on a hot pavement, at the thought of more patrolling with wonderful, sweet _Marinette._ It made perfect sense—she was the only other one whose identity hadn’t been uncovered by Hawkmoth. If Dragonbug was pairing her up with the snake miraculous holder, the alternative was her patrolling with a potential _someone else_ and Chat Noir losing his patrols with her. Maybe it was petty, but he didn't want that.

“Okay!” Adrien lips formed the word before his brain had fully committed to the idea, and now it was too late to back out. “Yes. I’m ready for the snake miraculous.”

Dragonbug’s mouth dropped open to protest. “A-actually, not the snake! I was going to suggest that maybe…” She trailed off when she saw Adrien’s expression crumple.

“Do you not trust me with the snake miraculous anymore? I’m so sorry I failed you last time, Dragonbug.” He looked remorseful as the long-pent-up apologies spilled out. “I thought about it a lot afterwards, and I realized that I made a few mistakes… I wasn’t focused enough, and I let my own feelings get in the way. I can understand why you wouldn’t trust me anymore.”

“N-no!” Dragonbug cried. “It’s not that at all! Of _course_ I trust you.” She lay a hand on Adrien’s shoulder, hating to see him looking so crushed.

“So you’ll let me try again?” His face looked so hopeful and bright—so impossible to refuse. “I promise I won’t make the same mistakes. I’ll do my best!”

“Yes, I’m sure you’ll do great!” Dragonbug tried to look reassuring, but on the inside, she felt the ill foreboding that usually accompanied a bad decision. Yet, as long as Adrien was careful and knew to stop at reasonable limits, maybe he would be all right. How else could she prove that she trusted him? Discreetly, she slipped the ox miraculous back into the yo-yo at her hip and extracted the snake. Holding open the hexagonal box of the snake miraculous, she declared, “You, Adrien Agreste, will be the new permanent holder of the snake miraculous… should you choose to accept.”

He reached out to pluck the snake miraculous from the box, with only a _hint_ of protest from his conscience—but she stopped him, placing a hand on his wrist.

“Wait. Adrien… Just promise me you’ll _never_ push yourself as far as you did last time. Okay? … _Please.”_ Her tone was grave.

Adrien opened his mouth to say something—something reassuring, maybe, to allay the worry he could see in her eyes—but she wasn’t finished.

“I know you’re a really diligent, reliable person and I’m sure it wasn’t easy to admit defeat, but… you should have done it a _long_ time before you did. I’ll be honest, I debated about whether to offer you a miraculous again, because I feel _terrible_ about what happened during that fight with Desperada. Not because I don’t trust you, but because I don’t want to put you through that ever again.”

Adrien shook his head. “Don’t feel bad about it. I know the number sounded crazy, but—when you go through that many second chances, the memories all start to blur together, and the physical toll isn’t as bad as you’d think. It doesn’t _feel_ like months are passing.”

Dragonbug felt an involuntary shudder at the word ‘months.’ “Still, sometimes that many failures should tell you that maybe that isn’t the right way to go about it. There might be another solution. Someone else’s powers, or… a different way to handle the situation. If anything like that ever happens again, please, _please_ say something sooner. We’re a team, and you should never have to carry the whole burden like that.”

(And that’s part of why she wanted to keep patrolling with Adrien for a while—to make sure he understood that he didn’t have to be perfect, that this whole superhero thing was a dance of fools in the dark and they were all figuring it out as a _team.)_

“I understand.” Adrien gave Dragonbug a reassuring smile. “I _really_ am sorry about last time. I was foolish.”

Dragonbug shook her head firmly. “You _weren’t_ foolish, Adrien. I understand why you did what you did.”

“No, I’m not afraid to admit it.” Adrien lowered his eyes and let out a self-deprecating chuckle. “It’s… because _you_ asked me. I didn’t want to disappoint you.”

Somehow, his newfound feelings for Marinette made it easier to see his own folly and fess up to it.

“Me? Why me?” Dragonbug looked perplexed.

“Well…” Adrien put on a smirk. “You’re only the most admired superhero in Paris, and you were giving me a chance. Can you blame me for trying to impress you?”

Dragonbug’s mouth formed an ‘o’ of understanding. “I guess that makes sense,” she murmured.

The explanation didn’t feel genuine to Adrien, though. He tried again. “Actually, that isn’t the whole truth. I… had feelings for you.”

Dragonbug’s cheeks colored. “You… you did?” The deliberate past tense didn’t escape her notice.

“Yeah. I did. Love makes people do stupid things, you know?” He laughed. 

“O-oh.” Dragonbug searched his eyes, feeling a mix of surprise, confusion, sadness, and hope—but she didn’t ask him to elaborate. Their lives weren’t meant to overlap or tangle too much, and it seemed like his confession was meant to create some sense of closure more than anything.

“Adriano! Did you find the hat? Where are you?” Vincent’s voice carried through the air.

“Coming!” Adrien cried, throwing a panicked glance over the bush. “Just a moment!”

Hand still on his wrist, Dragonbug pulled Adrien closer and planted a brief kiss on his cheek. “Remember what I said, okay?”

Adrien nodded, face heating up despite himself. He recalled Ladybug’s kiss in the sewer, the warmth of her lips grazing his cheek. Did it mean something? Could _he_ possibly be the boy…?

He mentally brushed away the thought. It felt _good_ to be able to move on from Ladybug and love a real girl who wasn’t a mystery, someone who didn’t always feel three steps beyond reach. Even if she did like Luka, at least duty didn’t preclude the possibility of a relationship with Marinette in the future, so maybe he had a chance. He would _not_ let himself dwell on unexplored possibilities with Ladybug. “I promise to be more reasonable from now on.”

“Good.” Dragonbug released Adrien’s hand and let him take the bracelet from the jewelry box. She hoped this was the right decision.

“Greetings,” Sass hissed, materializing in midair.

“Good to see you again.” Adrien smiled. “Sorry, but Vincent will notice if I show up with a new bracelet, so I’ll put the miraculous on when I get home. Okay?”

“Of course, young master.” Sass zipped out of view as Adrien slipped the bracelet into his pocket.

“Happy patrols,” Dragonbug bid him. “Wind dragon!”

She dissolved into a gust of wind just in time to avoid being seen as Vincent popped around the bush to investigate what was taking Adrien so long.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dragonbug is my favorite! So, it's my headcanon that the dragon miraculous holder can exert very minor control over the elements, like causing waves in water, or little drafts of air. The dragon miraculous is awesome! If I could pick one just for fun, that'd probably be it. XD (I'd probably be better at actually using the snake for tactical purposes, though.)
> 
> Which miraculous would you guys pick? :P
> 
> (Anyone notice my musical theatre reference? Probably not, but you win my eternal admiration if you get it.)
> 
> Aaanyway... for once, I've actually written / outlined (key word: outlined) the whole rest of this series. YAY! :D So, I will actually finish it.
> 
> _*crawls off to the corner of shame with all her WIPs*_


	6. i'm my own spy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: 😸🐞😮🐭😻 _for ladybug and chatnoir talking about Multimouse please?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmm~ to be honest, I'm not all that happy with this chapter, but I'm not going to obsess about it. Chat and Ladybug talk about Aspik and Multimouse.

“Wait—!” Ladybug grabbed Chat’s tail before he could leap off the Eiffel Tower.

He flailed, regaining his balance, and threw her a quizzical look. “What’s up, LB?”

“Sorry.” Ladybug helped him get to a more stable position. “Well, remember how I gave the snake miraculous to Adrien Agreste during the fight with Desperada?”

“Of course.” Chat tilted his head inquisitively. “What about it?”

“Well, today I… gave it back. For him to keep.” Ladybug pinched the bridge of her nose and rubbed, as if the decision gave her stress.

“To keep?” Chat worried that she regretted it, judging by her expression. “Was that a wise choice? Didn’t he fail the last time if you had to give the miraculous to someone else?”

“No!” Ladybug cried adamantly. “He didn’t fail. I mean, _technically_ he didn’t succeed, but… it wasn’t his fault! The situation was just all wrong, and it was stupid of us not to wait for you. Adrien is really smart, brave, he knows how to fight, and he has a heart of gold! He’s perfect as a miraculous holder!”

As blown away as Chat felt from all the praise for his civilian self, he still felt like Ladybug was having reservations. “So… why do you look so upset about giving him the miraculous?”

Ladybug looked aside, tension in her brow. “I’m just worried that last time was a traumatic experience for him. Adrien is really good at dealing with high tension situations and I’m afraid he’d keep it to himself even if he was feeling pressured.”

“… Oh.” Chat was surprised at Ladybug’s insight. It was probably a fair assessment, even if she was worrying too much (he was fine, after all). “Well, I trust your judgment, LB. I’m sure he’ll be fine. I mean, we’ve dealt with some pretty traumatizing things and we’re still okay, right?” He placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

She smiled at him, seeming to relax a bit. “I guess you’re right.”

He drew back his arm. “So, um—is he the _only_ new hero who gets to keep his miraculous?”

“Why? Do you have someone else in mind, Minou?” Ladybug nudged him.

“What about Multimouse? Her identity is still secret, isn’t it?” He felt warm talking about her, but _someone_ had to root for Marinette. Anyway, Ladybug had already mentioned her patrolling with Aspik, she just hadn’t told Chat yet.

“Why do you seem to like Multimouse so much, hmmm?” Ladybug’s eyes sparkled as she remembered the odd way Chat had showered her with praise the other day. She didn’t know what that was all about, but it was amusing to tease him.

“What?! How did you—I mean, it’s not that!” Chat’s tail lashed behind him in flustered agitation. 

“I’m kidding, I’m kidding,” Ladybug pacified. “How did patrol with her go the other day?”

“Really well!” Chat declared, trying to sound enthusiastic for Marinette’s sake but otherwise completely normal. Ladybug was probably expecting him to evaluate her performance or something, but what loomed the largest in his mind was his revelation about his feelings toward her. “She… she’s a natural! No learning curve at all. I could barely keep up with her. She’s awesome!”

He’d expect nothing less after having witnessed her gaming skills, after all. He narrowly dodged giving away that he knew her as a civilian by divulging that tidbit of info to Ladybug.

(Whether it was wise to keep pushing her as a superhero despite his tangled personal interest was a completely different matter.)

“So, you think she can handle the responsibility?” Ladybug tested.

“Oh, definitely! She’s super smart and responsible. Did you know she’s class president? Marinette’s good at _everything,_ I swear.” _Except maybe staying awake in class,_ he almost added, but that was okay—he had her back as supporting note-taker.

Ladybug perked up. Class president? That was an unexpected detail. “Wait, how do you know she’s class president?”

Chat clamped his hands over his mouth and mumbled something unintelligible between his fingers.

Ladybug narrowed her eyes on him. “Have you been _stalking_ her?”

“We’re friends!” Chat exclaimed. “I visit her balcony sometimes and we talk. She may have told me a few things.”

Ladybug raised an eyebrow. She didn’t remember having told Chat she was class president—she didn’t really talk about that, and it wasn’t like he dropped by often enough for her memories to start blurring—but it was possible she’d mentioned it in passing and forgotten. “Well, all right.” She waved a hand dismissively, letting it slide.

“So she’s in?” Chat asked excitedly.

“I guess so,” Ladybug responded off-handedly.

 _“Yes!”_ Chat pumped his fist.

Ladybug chortled at his enthusiastic reaction. “It sort of sounds like you have a new favorite superhero. Am I being replaced?”

Chat gasped. “Milady, no! I mean, I’ll always love you, even if—”

 _Even if…?_ Ohhh, this was interesting. A predatory grin spread over Ladybug’s features. “Even if what?”

“E-even if my heart has moved on…” _Argh, what’s wrong with my filter?_ Chat mentally kicked himself. He just kept compulsively spitting out the truth, but it was hard to stop talking when the subject of Marinette came up, and he was never one to hide his feelings. In an attempt to mask his sincerity in jest, Chat clutched his chest dramatically, sneaking a sidelong glance at Ladybug’s reaction to see if she’d buy his act.

He didn’t expect her to blush in completely earnest surprise.

“Wait… you’re actually serious?” she asked in disbelief.

Chat’s heart pounded. This was awkward—admitting he had a new crush to his old crush (whom he was probably still in love with), especially as he’d never given Ladybug a completely _real_ confession. He felt like he should sober up and tell her like a man. How ironic that he was now going to confess to her after all-but-admitting he was in love with someone else.

“Yes, I’m serious.” He straightened up and looked her in the eye. “And I feel the need to tell you that my feelings for you were real… I’ve been in love with you from the day I met you, and a part of me will always love you, Ladybug, but… I’ve realized that I’ve had feelings for Marinette for probably almost just as long.”

“Wha… really?” Ladybug was so shocked about Chat Noir admitting to having actual feelings for Marinette that she didn’t think about how she was supposed to act as Ladybug.

Chat Noir nodded and rubbed the back of his neck, not quite sure which part Ladybug was surprised about. “I’m completely serious. But don’t worry… I know how to be professional when we’re wearing masks. I won’t let my feelings get in the way of duty, I _paw-_ mise.” He held up his hand in a vow. “I mean, I’ve had practice with that, don’t you think, milady?” He cocked his head with a playful grin.

Ladybug flicked his bell affectionately. “Oh, I don’t know if you’ve been entirely _professional,”_ she chided gently, “but you’ve still been the best partner, and I wouldn’t trade you for the world.”

Maybe it was the fact that he’d just delivered two-love-confessions-in-one to her, but she was feeling soft toward him.

Chat beamed, as the ever-present tension and longing in his relationship with Ladybug ebbed to a comfortable mutual affection, leaving him happy and at peace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you didn't hate this chapter as I do. XD;; Anyway...
> 
> The next one will be Adrien and Multimouse (it's shaping up to be a really long chapter, whoops); and the one after that will be Snekmouse which will probably be just as long. Then there's a Lukagami one that wraps up this little series, which I'm actually looking forward to because their dynamic is so different from any combination of Adrien/Marinette, it felt refreshing even just to write the outline and dialogue. ^^
> 
> See you tomorrow. (Edit: I am so sorry, I’m such a liar—I said this then disappeared. But I’m updating my other stories! That’s something, isn’t it?! Ahem. Anyway. Update forthcoming, date indeterminate.)


	7. but were we lovers in a past life?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: 👍😊😞❤️️😘 _with Adrien and Multimouse,_ as requested by [mayuralover](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mayuralover/pseuds/mayuralover)!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I combined the emoji prompt with a kiss request prompt from [PenguinProduction05](https://archiveofourown.org/users/PenguinProduction05/pseuds/PenguinProduction05):
> 
> _36: Whispering “I love you” before a chaste, delicate kiss. Adrien and multimouse couple. Adrien gets assigned a bodyguard for the day after a new magazine add. The gorilla is with Gabriel out of the country, multi mouse. She’s replacing ladybug (Tikki is sick), he’s seen her a few times saving the city. He’s fallen for her after finally accepting ladybug doesn’t return his feelings. You can use whatever creative things come to mind for an ending or if you see this in a different direction:)_
> 
> WARNING: Minor "Your Name / Kimi No Na wa" spoilers! (Very minor, it won't ruin your enjoyment of the amazing film, but just thought I'd warn anyway.)
> 
> I hope you enjoy it.

Marinette was distracted in class, and it was all Chat Noir’s fault.

She absolutely didn’t like him that way, but what was a girl to do when she found out that her dear partner-in-crime (or anti-crime, as the case was) had feelings for both sides of her?

Of course, she already knew how he felt about Ladybug, but it felt more precious and real when his sincere confession (instead of a cheeky pick-up line) was directed at her clumsy, awkward civilian self, too.

She wondered what had changed his mind, especially since he hadn’t seemed to feel any way toward her when she’d falsely professed her love to him on her balcony months ago, that time her father had ended up getting akumatized. Didn’t he say he’d had feelings for Marinette _almost as long_ as he had for Ladybug? How and why?

A subtle buzz from Marinette’s purse pulsed through her arm, interrupting her thoughts.

The buzz pattern, different from her usual one, indicated it was an incoming text to the special phone that only one person had access to—Alya. And even though the girl in question was right beside her, tapping away still (presumably something Ladyblog-related, if she’d just sent a message to _that phone),_ Marinette couldn’t check yet without risking attracting her attention.

She attempted to discern from Alya’s expression and body language whether it was something urgent that required immediate attention, but since Alya looked more smug than anxious, Marinette decided it could wait.

—

Marinette finally had the opportunity to check the burner phone in the bathroom during lunch. It was Alya’s direct method of contacting Ladybug, in case important messages came in through the Ladyblog concerning Team Miraculous. Though it wasn’t something she flaunted to the public, in the interest of safety, Marinette knew it was a point of pride for Alya that she was the only civilian with Ladybug’s number.

The message contained within completely wiped thoughts of Chat Noir from Marinette’s mind.

 _Hey, Ladybug! I got a message through the Ladyblog. Mr. Agreste is going out of town tomorrow with his son’s usual bodyguard, so he’s requested a replacement for his outing after school. They want a miraculous holder, and specifically, Adrien requested Multimouse. You know which school he attends, right? Not sure if you guys do this, but I thought I’d pass the message on and let you decide. If it’s a ‘yes,’ she can meet him after school. Well, that’s all from me._ _Stay connected! —A_

Marinette’s eyes zeroed in on the words, _Adrien requested Multimouse._

Adrien requested Multimouse?!

“Adrien wants _me_ as his bodyguard?” Marinette turned to Tikki, who was hovering over her shoulder, also reading the message.

“So it seems, Marinette,” Tikki chirped.

Marinette’s face lit up with glee, and she did a little dance on the tips of her toes. “Oh, Tikki, what does it _mean?!_ Wait—should I accept?”

She began to consider any potential issues that could arise. Multimouse’s fighting abilities would certainly be sufficient to replace a non-supercharged bodyguard, and—worst case scenario (though she hoped it would never come to this), spinning the jump-rope should be enough to deflect even bullets. If an akuma attacked, she’d just have to make sure to deliver Adrien somewhere safe before joining the fight. Manageable enough.

And there was the obvious plus-side of being able to spend a significant amount of time with the boy of her dreams. She wondered what sort of ‘outing’ it would be.

“It should be all right,” Tikki hummed. “You know, miraculous holders weren’t originally intended to fight against one another. In the past, miraculous holders have served special roles in society, including acting as bodyguards for royalty. So it’ll be just like ancient times.”

“Royalty, huh?” Marinette tapped her chin, a smile spreading across her lips. “So I get to protect my prince for a day.” Excitement started to bubble up in her chest at the thought, and the fact that Adrien had chosen _her_ made her want to dance through the halls squealing at the top of her lungs.

She texted Alya back in the affirmative.

—

“Hello, Adrien! I’m Multimouse!” Multimouse held out a hand and swooned internally when Adrien’s palm made contact. “I mean, of course—you know that, but—since we’ve never met before.”

Adrien chuckled, a pink hue spreading across his cheeks. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Multimouse.”

Students were gawking and taking pictures as they passed on their way out, but the two teens were oblivious to the fact.

“You know, I’m kind of surprised you requested me.” Multimouse toyed with a strand of her bangs. “I didn’t know you even knew that I existed!”

“Oh, yeah.” Adrien rubbed the back of his neck. “I mean, of _course_ I knew you existed. You’ve been out on patrols and stuff, and I’ve heard from people who’ve seen you. But no one’s ever gotten a picture, so… I kind of wanted to meet you.”

Multimouse giggled. “Well, if you wanted… we could take a selfie!”

“I’d love that!” With a delighted smile, Adrien took his phone out of his pocket and put an arm around Multimouse’s shoulders so they could both fit into the frame.

She giggled again, melting on the inside.

This was going to be the best day of her life.

—

“Well, we made it in one piece!” Multimouse announced cheerfully as they pushed open the door to the shelter. “I’m not an _utter_ failure as a bodyguard, am I?”

“It wasn’t so bad this time,” Adrien chuckled. “I tend to have run-ins with _overly-enthusiastic_ people after a new ad comes out. You should’ve seen the last time, when a new perfume ad debuted and I tried to sneak out to see a movie. There was this crowd of fans chasing me everywhere, and it would have been a _nightmare_ if my friend Marinette hadn’t been there to help!” He grinned broadly, leading the way to a reception desk beside a red door along the right wall.

Multimouse flushed pink as she walked a couple of paces behind him. She would never forget that day, when she was mistakenly labeled as Adrien’s girlfriend and her pictures were posted all over the internet. They _still_ came up whenever someone googled “Adrien’s girlfriend,” along with a handful of articles debunking the truth of the claim.

Adrien greeted the receptionist and made small talk with her as she extracted a clipboard from behind the desk and put it in front of him to sign.

He did so, and she came out from behind the desk to swipe her badge across the scanner beside the red door, granting them entry.

“Plus, she looked really cute in her outfit that day,” Adrien stage-whispered into Multimouse’s ear once they were alone again, one hand raised to his cheek as if he were telling a secret.

“In her _pajamas?!”_ Multimouse let out a mortified squeak, then clamped her hands over her mouth.

“I’m sorry?” Adrien covered up her slip by pretending not to have heard her, turning his head to hide an amused smile. It seemed Marinette was not great at the whole ‘secret identity’ thing, but that just made her even cuter.

“Hello, babies,” he sang as they entered a room lined with three rows of four cages.

“So, what exactly do we do?” Multimouse gazed around at twelve adorable (in some cases grumpy, but still adorable) feline faces blinking out of twelve cages.

“We cuddle!” Adrien blushed as images of cuddling with Multimouse came to mind. “Um, cuddle with the cats, that is. It’s so they can get used to being around people, so they’re friendlier and more adoptable.”

“Really? That’s it? I assumed we’d be cleaning litter or something.”

“Nope, just the fun stuff.” Adrien approached a small tortoiseshell with a splotch of beige over its left eye and unclasped the cage, letting it take a sniff of his hand. “Hey, Goma! How are you, cutie?”

Multimouse hummed, sweeping her eyes over the cages to decide which to open first. The thought popped up that Chat Noir would have _loved_ to be here—but she squashed that thought, because what was that silly cat doing in her mind when she was here with _Adrien?_

“Don’t worry, they won’t eat you—this is Paris, after all,” Adrien teased Multimouse, beckoning her over. “Wanna pet Goma? She’s really sweet and friendly.”

Multimouse snorted at the cat-and-mouse joke, edging in beside him to stroke the cat in his arms. “Why does it matter that we’re in Paris?”

“Well, here, the mice eat the cats,” he explained in a serious tone.

Multimouse raised an eyebrow as he handed Goma to her and went to open another cage.

“Have you read Les Misérables?” Adrien asked.

Multimouse shook her head, scratching behind Goma’s ears. “I started one summer, but it’s so long and rambly! I couldn’t get past the part about the bishop.”

“Ah, well, there’s this funny dialogue I want to show you next time… about mice and cats.” He grinned. “It’s my favorite part of the book.”

 _Next time?!_ Marinette swooned behind the mask, managing (she hoped) to maintain the appearance of a totally responsible, calm and collected volunteer cat socializer—oh, and totally intimidating bodyguard!—on the outside. “I can’t wait!” she squeaked.

—

“You know,” Adrien began as he and Multimouse left the shelter and walked in the direction of the Métro. “I really like your hair. It’s cute!”

He meant it. He couldn’t stop looking at it, and the way the high buns made the swoop of her neck look so graceful. He wished he could ask her to wear it like that as a civilian sometime, because he was sure the style would look adorable with her civilian clothes, but obviously, he wasn’t supposed to know Multimouse’s civilian identity.

“Thanks!” Multimouse beamed. “Speaking of which, wanna hear something cool?” (The tip was relevant, not that he knew she knew, but…)

“What’s cool?”

“It’s something about the miraculous,” Multimouse shared in a low, conspiratorial tone. “If you think about the way you want to look, just before you transform, you can design your suit and hairstyle the way you want. It’s easier when the miraculous is still pretty new.”

“Oh, really?” Adrien lifted his brows as if surprised. Actually, he knew that already, and had very deliberately decided every detail of Chat Noir’s suit, but it tickled him that Marinette was so excited about it.

(He wondered if Ladybug knew. As stunningly gorgeous as she was, he had always found her suit a little plain… but then again, that was quintessentially Ladybug. Modest, practical.)

“Yeah,” Multimouse effused, hands balled at her chin in excitement. “It’s so cool! I thought it would be cute to have two buns like mouse ears, so I just thought about it, and _poof!_ Voilà. Instantly styled. The suit and mask, too! I wish it were that easy to design clothes.”

“The whole ensemble is adorable—you have great taste,” Adrien breathed, trying not to look too love-struck. Her excitement was precious to behold. Marinette gushing about fashion was his new jam. “What about Chat Noir’s suit?” he asked vaguely.

“What about it?” Multimouse blinked in confusion over his impromptu mention of Chat Noir.

“Do you like it?” he clarified.

“I mean, it’s all right.” Multimouse shrugged. “I like the bell, even though it seems counter-productive.”

Okay, a somewhat depressing sandwich of neutral-to-negatives, but at least she liked the bell. That was something. “Counter-productive how?”

“Well, it makes noise, doesn’t it?” She giggled fondly. So flamboyantly Chat. “Wouldn’t that just _attract_ the enemy’s attention?”

“Maybe that’s what he wants,” Adrien suggested, half-jokingly.

Multimouse’s face went ashen. She wasn’t sure that’s what Chat was actually thinking, but the idea of him acting as bait was uncomfortably close to the mark.

“W-what?” Adrien was alarmed at her sudden change in mood. “Did I say something wrong?”

“No, you’re fine,” Multimouse mumbled quietly, but after a moment she bounced back with a smile, evaluating the other heroes’ suit designs.

—

“Hey, so…” Adrien glanced at Multimouse as they sat, thighs aligned, on the Métro.

She looked at him expectantly.

“There’s this movie my friends saw the other day, but I missed it. Which was _totally fine_ and I had a way more awesome time doing what I was doing instead. But I was wondering if you’d possibly want to see it with me..?”

Multimouse managed to pick her jaw up off the ground and get her blush under control. “Oh, o-of course!”

Despite the fact that the ride was less than ten minutes, she succeeded in falling dead asleep on Adrien’s shoulder before they could arrive at their destination.

He sat there with her head nestled against his neck, his whole body tingling, hardly able to breathe. It was like what he’d felt on the Startrain, but ten times more intense. Cheeks burning, he shifted slightly to drop a chaste kiss on the top of her head, in between her buns and her bangs, where her scalp was warmest and carried a pocket of strawberry scent. “I love you,” he whispered.

—

Adrien and Multimouse stood before the movie listings as if before an obelisk covered in indecipherable script. They both knew (but she didn’t know that he knew she knew) which movie they had missed the other day, but wavered in mutual hesitation.

“Sooo…” Adrien cleared his throat. “The movie my friends saw the other day was the zombie movie, but… honestly—please don’t laugh, but—I don’t do too well with horror.”

“Oh! Whew.” Multimouse mimed wiping her brow, relieved he had broken the ice on the topic. “I don’t like horror either.” As much as the thought of potentially clinging to one another for comfort made her sort of want to brave it.

“Which one do _you_ want to see?” Adrien inquired, tipping his head.

“Hmm…” Multimouse scanned the titles. “Whichever one _you_ want to see.”

“Well…” Adrien shifted his weight and glanced at Multimouse. Sweet, kind Marinette would never judge him for his film preferences. “I’ve kind of been wanting to watch _Your Name…”_

Multimouse’s face lit up. She didn’t know what Adrien’s taste in movies was like, but she had been wanting to see the romantic drama animated film, too. “Oh, me too! I didn’t think you’d want to see it.”

“Why wouldn’t I? This is perfect!” Grinning like a maniac, Adrien slipped his hand into Multimouse’s and started off toward the self-serve ticketing stands.

Other moviegoers’ heads were turning at the sight of a rarely-seen masked hero buying movie tickets with Adrien Agreste. Multimouse kept her posture straight, a sharpness in her eyes that said _‘Bother us if you dare.’_ (He, on the other hand, seemed not to notice.)

It was only once they were safely seated in the theatre, waiting out the trailers, that Adrien began having second thoughts. This felt like a date, and that was awesome, but… had he tricked Marinette into going on a date with him? She was supposed to just be his bodyguard. Maybe she didn’t _want_ to be on a date with him. She liked Luka, after all, not Adrien. Maybe he was making her uncomfortable with his unwanted advances. She seemed happy enough, but… Marinette always looked happy, so he wasn’t positive he could tell if she was feeling uncomfortable.

Adrien chewed his lip, plagued with inner turmoil.

Multimouse glanced at him shyly, and he latched on to the cue to say something.

“Hey, Multimouse, random question…” he ran a hand through his hair. “Is there someone you like?”

Multimouse blinked furiously and leaned closer. “I-I’m sorry?”

Adrien flushed a crimson hue that went unappreciated in the darkened cinema. “Is there someone you like? You know, like… a guy?” he repeated, whispering directly into her ear.

“Oh! Um.” Multichat’s hands went to her cheeks, as if trying to hide from the question. “Yes?” she answered in a high pitch.

“Does he, um… play an instrument, by any chance? Like guitar, for example?” Adrien was glad Multimouse was having trouble looking him in the eye, because he was sure his facial expression would instantly give away how on-edge he was for her answer.

“Hmmm…” Multimouse fingered her necklace and tempered her response in light of Desperada’s events. “I bet he could play the guitar if he tried, but he’s more of a pianist.”

“Oh?” Hope and excitement surged in Adrien’s chest, and his breath caught in his throat.

The dim lights fading to black to herald the feature presentation vaguely registered in Adrien’s mind, but he was focused on Multimouse. “One more question,” he stumbled forth, “Let’s say this was… _hypothetically…_ a date… would that be a good thing or a bad thing…? I mean, for you. You know, us being here, that is.”

His blush deepened as the awkward word vomit tumbled from his lips. He forcibly shut his mouth.

Multimouse turned her head slightly—not to face him completely, but just enough for her eyes to meet his. She licked her lips. “A-a good thing. Definitely a good thing!” … _Uh oh._ Too enthusiastic?

She was about to backpedal when he spoke in a hushed tone.

“Good, so… can we pretend it’s a date, then? Because, y’know, that’s way more normal than you being my bodyguard.”

 _… Oh._ Multimouse’s heart sank. That’s all it was. Trying to appear normal in public. Of course needing to have a bodyguard would be embarrassing for him. “O-of course,” she stuttered, feigning a smile.

—

“Oh my gosh, it was _so good,”_ Multimouse gasped as the ending credits began to roll. It was so good she hadn’t even gotten drowsy, which was more than she could say for any film she’d seen all year. “I don’t know if I want to scream or cry or—” She turned to Adrien, to find him still gazing at the screen softly, one hand swiping under his eye. “Wait, are you _actually_ crying?” she blurted out.

“Come on, it was really good,” he murmured weakly in his defense.

“I almost cried too,” she confessed. “I mean, to think they were _so close,_ but they didn’t know it, and then… the way he just _knew_ when he passed her…” She felt tears well up in her eyes again. “I think it’s a beautiful idea that his heart would remember her even if his brain didn’t.”

“Yeah,” Adrien breathed, a tender smile gracing his lips as he turned to face Multimouse, eyes deep with undefined emotion. “It’s beautiful.”

His eyes reminded her of the day he had given her his umbrella. Yet, she felt an eerie sense of déjà-vu, as if she’d seen that expression elsewhere, on another boy, in another context.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I'm so sorry that I said "See you tomorrow" at the end of my last chapter, then proceeded to not update for over a week. *cries* Anyway, here we are. Two more chapters! Or one, depending on how you think of it. The next chapter concludes the love polygon shenanigans arc, but there is a bonus Lukagami chapter at the end that's part of the same universe, just for fun.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I had fun writing it. In case anyone's wondering, the dialogue Adrien is talking about is from [Les Miserables, linked here](https://books.google.com/books?id=wGozDwAAQBAJ&lpg=PA167&ots=uUiToIV8MC&dq=%22I%20did%20have%20one%2C%22%20replied%20Gavroche%2C%20%22I%20brought%20one%20here%2C%20but%20they%20ate%20her.%22&pg=PA167#v=onepage&q=%22I%20did%20have%20one,%22%20replied%20Gavroche,%20%22I%20brought%20one%20here,%20but%20they%20ate%20her.%22&f=false)—a cute conversation between the street urchin Gavroche and a younger child he's brought to sleep in his lodging in the Bastille elephant. I don't know if the link will work, but I don't know how else to share the dialogue without copy and pasting it all in here, which is a little long. ^^
> 
> The movie they watch is [Your Name / Kimi no Na Wa](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrXwZpXOiVA), which is an AMAZING movie.
> 
> Also, I didn't do it intentionally, but Your Name ended up letting me tie the meaning of the series title into this chapter. Isn't it nice when things work out serendipitously? ^_^


	8. 'cause i've seen that look before

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Prompt:** 🐞🐭🐱🐍😮😍 _so like, a reveal but with Aspik and Multimouse._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Here's the final part of the love polygon arc.
> 
> I know there's one more chapter in the count, but it's sort of like an "omake" with Kagami and Luka, since I got an emoji request for them. I decided to put it in the same storyline just so it will read with continuity, but it's not really part of the story. This is where the story ends.
> 
> (Edit: I decided to just make the work 'complete' since it's technically complete, but I'll add that chapter later once I get around to writing it. My OCD brain wants to see a nice, round 8/8.)
> 
> Also, this chapter got completely out of hand. But I hope you enjoy it anyway.

From somewhere in the depths of a fatigued void too deep for dreams, Marinette registered the sensation of something pressing into her arm.

“‘M not hungry, Maman,” she mumbled and shifted.

“…arinette. Marinette, wake up.”

That wasn’t her mother’s voice. It was a soft, warm, familiar, but decidedly male voice. _“Chaton?”_

The veil of sleepiness collapsed like a shroud yanked abruptly from her consciousness. Marinette sat up straight, eyes snapping open before her vision could catch up. She found herself blinking into two concerned pools of peridot-green as Adrien tilted his head inquisitively.

“Did you say something?” he asked.

Right. Class. If class hadn’t started yet, the nap had only been a few minutes long, but she felt like she had surfaced from the bottom of a lake and was still reorienting herself.

“N-nothing,” she mumbled, grateful that she was rarely coherent upon waking. “I was dreaming. Sorry.”

“Dreaming? Already?” Adrien chortled. “You were asleep for what, five minutes? That’s actually impressive.”

Remembering that blasted #MarinetteChallenge, Marinette whipped her head left and right to catch any offenders, which prompted a laugh out of Adrien.

“Don’t worry, you’re safe. I made sure to glare at anyone who looked like they were getting ideas,” he assured her, his wide grin reaching his eyes. “Anyway, class is about to start, so I figured I should wake you up.”

Marinette’s cheeks heated. “Thanks.”

“Any time.” He raked his bangs back with his fingers and winked at her before turning back around, sending a waft of his apple-scented shampoo floating back to Marinette’s nostrils.

Memories of the previous day flooded back—memories of waking up on the Métro with her face in his chest, breathing in that scent. Memories of brushing shoulders as they whispered the occasional comment during the movie. She was still in a cloud of euphoria over it, and she’d have to sit behind him all day and pretend it hadn’t happened. She couldn’t even tell Alya.

Even if he _had_ only asked her to pretend it was a date to escape the embarrassment of having a bodyguard out in public, it was okay. Especially, she reasoned, since he didn’t know who Multimouse was. How painfully inconvenient if he were to fall in love with her own masked identity!

Focusing in class was a lost cause as she counted the minutes to patrol that afternoon. Before long, she gave up on taking notes and doodled blond-haired boys on her tablet during lecture whenever she managed to stay awake.

—

Swinging her legs from a beam just above the main platform of the Eiffel Tower, uncharacteristically early for the meeting time, Multimouse contemplated another nap.

Her eyes felt like sandpaper and she kept feeling like she was floating. After staying up until almost daybreak to finish a project she was supposed to have been working on for the past two weeks, the two measly hours of sleep were taking their toll. She _didn’t_ want to feel this discombobulated on a patrol with Ad—Aspik.

A flash of teal made her heart flutter with excitement and anxiety. Of course he would be early, too. Ah well, she’d be fine without a nap.

As soon as he landed on the platform, face shining with excitement, Multimouse noticed that something was different. She thought for an unsettling moment that it was Luka, but upon closer inspection, realized that Aspik had changed his suit design slightly to match Viperion’s. His hair was loose, a little longer than how it usually looked as Adrien, the tips dipped in teal like Luka’s.

Watching as Multimouse got to her feet, he reclined against a nearby vertical beam in an effortlessly beautiful pose that only a professional model could pull off without looking ridiculous. “Sorry I’m late.”

“Oh, you’re not late, you’re just on time,” Multimouse assured him, feeling heat rise uncontrollably to her face just from looking at him. “Y-you changed your hair!”

He shook it out gloriously. “Do you like it?”

Dangerous. This was dangerous. Multimouse _thought_ she had learned how to keep her head around Adrien, but apparently, she was dead wrong. “I love y— _it!_ I love it! I-I mean no, I don’t love it, I—not that I _hate_ it, that is—what I mean is, it looks really cool!”

What had happened to functioning normally around Adrien yesterday? It must be the sleep deprivation.

“Yeah, figured I should try to copy Viperion’s style to make it less obvious that I’m a newbie,” Aspik explained, pushing off the beam and coming closer to her, “and in case Ladybug decides she wants to go back to using the previous holder after all.”

“Oh, no no, I’m sure you’ll do great, you have nothing to worry about!” Multimouse reassured while attempting to collect herself. She smiled and extended a hand in what she hoped was a semblance of professionalism. “I’m Multimouse!”

Another introduction, another dreamy handshake. What a lucky girl she was.

“Ah, the famous Multimouse.” Aspik reached out and, instead of shaking her hand, lifted it to his lips and pressed a gentle kiss to her knuckles.

“F-famous?!” She squeaked, unable to say anything more coherent as she watched _Adrien Agreste_ give her bedroom eyes over her hand. And why was she getting that déjà vu feeling again?

“Famous to me,” he breathed in a silky tone, letting go of her fingers with all the grace of releasing a sparrow back into the air. “I’ve been looking forward to our patrols ever since Ladybug gave me the miraculous.”

 _Uh oh,_ Aspik thought, watching as the slight tinge of pink that he thought he might be imagining deepened into an unmistakable blush. He hadn’t expected the suave act to work _this_ well, especially after the way Ladybug usually reacted.

He’d only wanted to have some fun, since Marinette didn’t know it was _him_ under the mask, and he didn’t have to worry about grooming her image of him. He should tone it down, though—what a disaster it would be if she fell for _Aspik!_

But now that he knew how _effective_ the charming act was, maybe he should try it as Adrien.

Aspik straightened up and grinned in a less flirty, more friendly way. 

“Ahem. Anyway, Mousinette—before we start patrol, I actually have something for you, but it’s in the park. I would have brought it with me, but I needed both my hands to climb the Tower.”

“Something for m-me?” She was still too flustered to say anything beyond repeating his words. And Adrien had just called her by a _pet name!_ She wanted to scream.

“Yup! Follow me.” Doing an about-face, and throwing a glance over his shoulder to confirm that she was following, Aspik leapt off the beam and began a quick descent.

It took incredible focus for Multimouse to pay attention to where her feet were landing and make it down in one piece.

He led her to the Champ de Mars and ducked behind a square-cut tree, extracting a paper to-go cup like a trick magician.

“It’s coffee,” he explained, holding it out to her.

He had seen Marinette falling asleep in class all day (and for the past week, or month—when had she started being perpetually tired?) and he couldn’t just stand by and watch her suffer without doing anything. Buying her a cup of coffee was more feasible than forcing her to sleep, but sudden insecurity about whether she even liked coffee hit him like an icy wind.

“I-I just thought—since we’re meeting for the first time today, and we’re supposed to be partners now, I didn’t want to come empty handed, you know? If you don’t like it, it’s fine, I’ll just—um—throw it away, or—or drink it or something.” He trailed off into a mumble and extended his hand further, as if begging her to accept his gift.

Multimouse concluded that he was deliberately trying to kill her. What with his gorgeousness and his fairytale prince gestures, this clumsy act of kindness was the final nail in her coffin.

“I-I like it,” she managed to get out, heart leaping to her throat when their fingers overlapped a little as she took the cup. “Thank you, this is—you’re—you’re _amazing.”_

He was the sweetest, most incredible person she knew, but she needed to hold it together and not cry or kiss him. It was just coffee, after all. She heard Alya’s voice urging her to ‘ _Chill, Marinette.’_

Lifting the cup to her lips, Multimouse took a sip. As nutty sweet caramel hit her taste buds, she looked up in surprise and swallowed. “This is my favorite flavor.” She felt some of her nervousness melt away as the drink warmed her chest.

“Really?” His eyes sparkled with pleasure. “Mine too. Uh—when I can have it, that is.”

She held out the cup to him. “Would you like some?”

His mouth fell open, his eyes flicking to the rim of the cup that her perfect pink lips had just touched. He gulped. “Um. Sure. Just a sip… I-I mean, don’t feel like you have to share, it’s all yours. _”_

“Please. I can spare a sip.” Multimouse smiled in such an inviting way, he had no choice but to accept.

He sipped, stomach tingling at the thought that he and Marinette were sharing an _indirect kiss._ As he handed the cup back to her, he gave her a wry smile. “I’m usually not allowed to drink stuff like this,” he admitted. “Too much sugar. But it’s delicious! I have a massive sweet tooth.”

“Oh, really?” Multimouse’s face brightened with excitement. “I may or may not have access to some really good pastries. I can bring some on our next patrol.”

“That sounds amazing!” Aspik agreed enthusiastically. That was just like Marinette. Always so generous, even to a complete stranger such as himself.

Both were struck with the thought that _future patrols_ sounded a lot like _regularly scheduled dates,_ and mirror-image blushes appeared on their equally besotted faces.

Once again, the teens were completely oblivious as mothers pushing their children in prams, and couples sitting together on benches, snapped photos of two superheroes sharing a coffee and secretive giggles in the park.

They strolled quietly together as Multimouse finished the coffee, swinging by the public trash can at the edge of the park to throw out the paper cup.

Multimouse missed on the first throw. Aspik did a double-take—he was well aware that the suit greatly _enhanced_ coordination, after witnessing countless plans of Ladybug’s that involved stunts requiring an insane degree of precision succeed, time and again, against all odds.

“Oops!” Multimouse ran to pick up the cup, pausing a moment as vertigo from the sudden dip hit her, and dunked it into the garbage.

“Hey… Multimouse, are you sure you’re okay to patrol?” Aspik placed a concerned hand on her shoulder.

She _‘eep!’ed_ and whirled around to face him. How had he caught up so quickly? “Of course! Why wouldn’t I be? I’m fine, totally fine!” Placing both hands on her hips, she struck a pose exuding confidence and energy, and let out a slightly frenzied laugh.

Aspik’s lips stretched in a nervous smile, but his chest felt heavy. Marinette usually acted like this after pulling an all nighter to work on a paper or sewing project. She was notoriously loopy in this state, and it was the only time he could beat her at video games. He didn’t feel good about letting her run around on rooftops and rails when she couldn’t even get her coffee cup into the rubbish.

“Uh, if you need to take a nap or something before patrol, that’s totally fine with me—I don’t have anything planned later this afternoon,” he fibbed, maneuvering mental chips to figure out a way to clear his afternoon.

“Nap? Psha,” Multimouse waved her hand, dismissing the suggestion. “Sleep is for the weak. I was _born_ ready for this patrol!”

To prove her point, she slipped the jump-rope from around her waist and lassoed it between two trees. “Watch this.”

Aspik’s mouth fell open, and he reached out a hand to stop her, but it was too late—she mounted it like a tight-rope.

“See?” Multimouse hummed as she walked the length of the rope, bouncing from toe to toe. After a few steps, she bent her knees and did a backflip, the rope recoiling gracefully as she landed on her feet.

Aspik spluttered and gaped. “Ma— _MULTIMOUSE!”_

He really didn’t need to worry, since he had done much more daring stunts within his first five minutes of becoming a superhero, but this was _Marinette,_ and the image of her falling on her head and getting permanent nerve damage haunted his thoughts.

“Oh, come on, Snake Boy, did that scare you?” Multimouse cooed, hopping off the rope and leaning into his space with a smug smirk. The adrenaline pumping in her veins gave her confidence a boost, and the fact that Adrien didn’t know it was _her_ made her want to tease him a little. “I could have done that as a civilian. You should see what I can do in this suit.”

Aspik’s face went aflame at Multimouse’s sudden proximity, and the rarely-seen intoxicating boldness oozing from his usually modest friend. “U-um,” he stuttered, mouth dry, “Should we start patrolling?”

Eyes exploring his face, Multimouse realized his cheeks were tinted in rose. She noticed his eyes roam downward to her—lips?! Uh oh. Heart thundering, she took a step back to a comfortable distance. She didn’t mean to _flirt_ with him as Multimouse. Multimouse was competition!

“Oh! Right! Patrol. Yes. We mustn’t get distracted—ahaha, silly me!”

“Awwww, you’re leaving?” a small voice whined, and they both looked aside, noticing a child who had clearly been eavesdropping on their conversation—about five or six years old—hanging off the arm of a seemingly-reluctant parent, eyes glued to the two of them. “But Super Mouse is so cool! I wanna see more tricks.”

“Yeah! More!” Another kid chimed in, breaking loose of her parents who were strolling nearby to run over and join the first kid in ogling the two superheroes.

“Sure!” Aspik exclaimed, kneeling to offer his palms to the two children for a dual high-five. Despite his initial reaction to her tricks, he was totally down with the idea of an extended tight-rope show. It was less than a two-meter drop to the grass, anyway—much safer than falling off a building. “She was really cool, wasn’t she? By the way, her name is Multimouse.”

He shot a wink at Multimouse over his shoulder and called out, “Multimouse, could you show us some more?” 

Multimouse’s brain had flatlined into a steady squeal of _‘Oh my God, he’s good with kids, he’s so cute! Adrien! Adorable! Aaaaahhh!’_ and it was a few seconds before she realized she was supposed to answer. “U-um, yeah! Of course! Coming right up!”

She bounced back onto the makeshift tight-rope, which was still wound around the trees.

As soon as she stepped onto the ‘wire,’ with a showy pose for the audience, a chord chimed in the air. She glanced down to see Aspik holding his lyre, the strings still vibrating. He gave her an encouraging smile.

Grinning, Multimouse flourished her arms, then did a cartwheel across the pink rope. The crowd (which had grown to a decent cluster) cheered and applauded.

She ran up one of the trees, then did a backflip onto the wire. The crowd went wild.

Along with Aspik’s lyre accompaniment, the impromptu show had the feeling of a medieval jester act. Before long, almost all the park visitors had swarmed to watch like ants to a morsel of food, and more spectators were pouring in from the surrounding streets. The crowd had grown so large, she had to move her jump-rope to between the legs of the Eiffel Tower for increased height and visibility.

Multimouse wondered if Alya was amidst the crowd. She’d surely be incensed at having missed the first ever superhero entertainment act.

Duty gnawed at Multimouse, though, so after about twenty minutes of pulling stunts, she did a triple-barrel-roll flip off the jump-rope to land in a dramatic pose with her arm outstretched. A wild cheer erupted from the crowd.

“That’s all, folks!” she announced, to a crowd-wide moan of disappointment. “Thanks for watching! We usually don’t do things like this, but we hope the performance brightened your day!”

“What’s your name?” a voice called out.

“Multimouse!” Eyes locking on Aspik, who was off to the side joining the crowd in applauding her, Multimouse hooked him by the elbow and dragged him over into the limelight, insistent that he receive recognition too. A palpable blush crawled up his neck at her touch. “And your musician today was Aspik. I’m sure he’s capable of way cooler tricks than what I showed you, but you’ll just have to wait to catch him in action!” She winked at the crowd.

“By the way,” she whispered for his ears only, “I didn’t know you could actually play the lyre.”

Potential boastful retorts that drifted to Aspik’s mind all melted away at the divine sight of her cornflower irises and rose-pink cheeks. “I didn’t know either,” he whispered back. “I’ve never touched one before in my life. I guess the skill comes with the suit.”

“Ooooh, such lovebirds!” a familiar voice cooed, and suddenly they were face to face with the familiar camera on the back of Alya’s phone, ladybug charm swinging smugly as she picked up prized video footage.

Aspik and Multimouse jumped apart self-consciously. They hadn’t realized how their proximity must look from an outside point of view.

“Some photos were posted on social media earlier of you two having a date in the park, and you have really great chemistry together,” Alya prattled, half to the camera and half to the superhero duo. “Could you enlighten your fans on the Ladyblog about your relationship status? Are you together?”

“Oh! N-no, she’s just a friend!” Aspik cried, chuckling uncomfortably and waving his hands in front of the camera in an unspoken plea to turn it off.

“Right!” Multimouse chimed in. “We met for the first time today! There’s absolutely nothing going on between us. We’re just _partners!”_ She lightly elbowed Aspik, a hint to be careful with his word choice.

She figured it was because of their recent ~~date~~ —ahem— _bodyguard_ experience that he was referring to her as a friend, which was sweet of him, especially since this was only his second time meeting her. But the knackered phrase drove a splinter into her heart nonetheless.

“It certainly didn’t look that way,” Alya winked, stubbornly keeping the camera trained on the two of them. “Will you two be patrolling together from now on?”

Aspik opened his mouth to answer, but Multimouse was faster. “I’m so sorry, but it’s too dangerous to be giving away Ladybug’s future plans. You’ll just have to wait and see!”

Aspik nodded emphatically in support.

“Well, then, sorry to cut this short, but we really need to start patrol now!” Multimouse insisted, looping her arm around Aspik’s once again and beginning to drag him along as she stepped backward, away from Alya. She raised a hand to wave at the camera, then at the crowd of spectators still standing by. “Squeak ya later!”

She saluted, but then halted abruptly as if remembering something. “Hold on.”

She ran back to the children (lined up in front of the crowd of spectators) who were watching them with puppy-dog eyes, knelt and held out her arms. They rushed forward, tripping over one another in their haste to join the group hug. “Do your best in school, and let’s take care of Paris together, okay?” She met each one’s eyes, a gentle smile gracing her lips.

A chorus of “Yes, Multimouse!” rang out, peppered with a few “Yes, Super Mouse!” and an “Okay, Mouse Girl!”

“That one’s going on Instagram for sure.” Alya’s voice trembled with excitement as she ran to and fro, snapping shots from various angles.

Aspik’s heart melted. This was quintessentially Marinette. Responsible, wise, _and_ good with kids. How could he not love her? He sighed wistfully, and his stomach did a backflip when she ran back to grab his hand, face brimming with excitement. Gone were the traces of fatigue from under her eyes and the corners of her mouth.

“Come on, let’s go!” She tugged him along as she launched herself toward the rooftops, hand still wrapped around his, and it was all he could do to follow without stumbling in his lovelorn stupor.

—

“You handled that pretty well,” Aspik praised once they had gotten into a rhythm, running side-by-side. After seeing Marinette get flustered from Alya’s teasing in the past, he was actually very surprised she’d been able to keep a cool head and get them out of there without freaking out. “You reminded me of Ladybug! She’s the one who usually deals with the media.”

 _Uh oh,_ Multimouse thought. With a suit on, it was too easy to get into character. She needed to be more careful or he’d figure her out. “Oh, that was nothing!” Multimouse dismissed. “Sorry for getting carried away with the performance back there.”

Aspik scoffed. “Why are you apologizing? I’m the one who agreed to it on your behalf—I should be the one saying sorry.”

“Anything for y—uhh, Paris’s citizens!” Multimouse returned in a high pitch. She turned to give Aspik a cheesy grin, but at the same moment her toe caught on something, and she found herself flying through the air.

She braced herself for a painful impact, but it didn’t come. Instead, she heard Aspik grunt as the wind was knocked out of his lungs. Squinting as she opened her eyes cautiously, the toxic-green of his masked eyes filled her field of vision. Her right shoulder throbbed, crushed against the zinc surface. A flutter of movement at her temple brought her attention to the fact that his hand lay between her cheek and the roof, protecting her from injury.

“You okay?” He asked with an involuntary grimace.

“Sorry,” she blurted out immediately, fully aware that the tumble was her fault. “I’m fine—but I should be asking _you.”_ If she’d been flustered before, there was no comparison to now.

“Completely fine,” Aspik murmured, ignoring the pounding of his hip and shoulder that had rammed hard into the roof. “You didn’t hit your head?”

Multimouse shook her head slightly, as much as she could with her head still cradled in his hand. “Thank you. You really didn’t have to do that.”

“Of course I did,” he protested gently. “I know for a fact that despite the magic suits, impacts still hurt and we can still bruise. We don’t have Ladybug around to heal our bodies this time.”

Multimouse’s heart twinged at the reminder of the _months_ worth of time he had spent in the time loop during Desperada, and all the unknown horrors he must have experienced. “I’m _so sorry_ that you know that from personal experience,” she sighed, feeling responsible and guilty.

“Hey, don’t be sorry.” The fingers of his left hand shifted against her cheek in a subtle gesture of affection. “Why are you sad? It’s really nothing. I just meant I tried a few stunts when I got the bracelet and ended up banging myself up a little, that’s all.”

She met his eyes, certain that he was lying.

He grinned, hoping to tide her along with his chipper mood. He admired Marinette’s compassion, but the last thing he wanted was to get her down. “Seems like you got the hang of it really quickly, though. Those tricks back there were something else. You’re so talented, M—Multimouse!” His cheeks colored, and he hoped she wouldn’t notice his almost-slip.

They were still lying face-to-face, sideways against a rooftop and overshadowed by a chimney stack. The close contact was addling his mind, and his arm was starting to fall asleep, but he couldn’t do anything about that without rudely dumping Multimouse onto the roof.

“Oh, um…” Multimouse brought her hands to cover her mouth, and Aspik saw pink spilling out across her cheeks beneath the mask. “Thank you,” she mumbled through her fingers. “Obviously my klutz tendencies still win out, though since we’re—”

At that moment, she seemed to realize the intimacy of their position and promptly began to freak out, realizing that she was pinning Aspik’s arm to the roof and he couldn’t get up unless she did first.

“Oh my God! I’m so sorry! I’m so stupid, I didn’t notice, this is all my fault in the first place—” She scrambled to her feet, mortified, and held out a hand to help him up, too. “Are you sure you’re not hurt?”

He took her hand, chuckling affectionately at her antics while brushing himself off. His arm tingled and prickled as blood flowed back to his fingers. Aside from bruises that would potentially get ugly later, he was fine. Good thing the big swimsuit photoshoot was over with, and the affected areas would normally be covered by clothing. “Don’t worry, Mousinette. I’m fine.”

—

“Let’s just stay local today,” Multimouse suggested, pausing on a gable to take a look around. “Since we got set back playing in the park and all.” An hour had already passed since they had started patrol, and they’d barely made it five blocks beyond the Champ de Mars.

“You know, you really remind me of Ladybug,” Aspik commented idly, voicing a thought that had been rolling around in his head ever since they’d met up—especially since that moment in the park.

“Oh? Why might that be?” Multimouse asked, voice tight. “Never mind, don’t answer that! Oh, look, it’s Adrien Agreste’s new ad!” She pointed out the first thing that caught her attention, to change the topic, cringing as she belatedly realized how awkward it was to point out Adrien to Adrien himself.

Good thing they were almost done sweeping the arrondissement, so her shame session could come to an end sooner.

“You… _like_ that Agreste kid?” Aspik asked in a low, guarded tone, crouched on a chimney stack. “I mean, you know, not _like_ like, but like as in _approve_ of him. You don’t think he’s a rich snob with a personality like dry toast?”

Multimouse gasped as if personally affronted. “Ad—Aspik, how—how could you _say_ that? Why would I think such a thing?!”

Aspik shrugged. “I mean, I don’t know much about the kid…” Crap. He probably should not have opened this can of worms. He didn’t mean to sound so self-deprecating, but due to his nervousness, his voice was all garbled and now he sounded like a judgmental jerk. Way to portray himself to all-encompassingly kind Marinette!

On top of that, it seemed immoral to go fishing for Marinette’s opinion of him this way.

“No, I definitely do _not_ think Adrien is a snob, and his personality is _anything_ but dry toast!” Marinette let out in an indignant stream. “He’s one of the—no, _the_ sweetest, kindest, most interesting person I know! I just wish he had better self-esteem!”

The words rang over the rooftops and echoed back to them along with the sound of motorists and the murmur of pedestrians below. Fortunately, they were hidden from view, otherwise they would _surely_ be attracting public attention right now.

Aspik blinked, coherent thoughts knocked right out of him by her unexpected zeal. … Was it that obvious he had low self-esteem?

“—Uh, not that I know him personally or anything, but that’s the impression I get,” Multimouse qualified, sheepishly tracing one of the ridges of the rooftop with her toe. She grinned her toothy, too-wide ‘oops’ grin.

An odd sense of déjà vu suddenly hit Aspik, and for some reason, spots flashed in his mind. That didn’t make sense, though—Ladybug was anything but timorous. She was bold, confident—she had her moments of doubt, but he’d never seen her like _this,_ had he? This was typical Marinette behavior. Why did she remind him so much of Ladybug?

“Uh, sure, yeah, okay,” he tried to pass it off as if Multimouse’s comment had nothing at all to do with him. “I guess I wouldn’t know, anyway.” He hesitated. “It seems like you’re really, uh— _passionate_ about him, though.”

 _Passionate._ Why did he have to say _passionate?_ That just brought a flood of ideas into his mind that he shouldn’t be thinking right now, because of course she wasn’t passionate about him like that!

“Oh, well, I just think we shouldn’t judge or dismiss anyone!” Multimouse let out a tinkling laugh colored with nervousness, before her eyes softened. “A good friend taught me that.”

He allowed himself the sweet indulgence of gazing into her eyes for a moment, before the odd déjà vu feeling started to close in on him again, like the spider-web touch of a dream he had forgotten.

The look in her eyes was familiar. It was a look that preceded a kiss. Marinette had kissed him on the cheek, after the Heroes Day picnic. He had replayed that kiss in his mind dozens of times since he had realized he had feelings for Marinette. So why was he thinking about Ladybug?

Then, like a three-dimensional form emerging from a hidden picture puzzle, he saw it. Maybe it was the snake suit that made the pieces click into place. He had first worn this suit the day she kissed him in the sewer, the very same way, with that soft look and a faint brush of her lips against his cheek. _Ladybug._

Aspik’s breath caught in his throat. “Who was this good friend?” he inquired, head spinning.

“I know you’re new to this, but even you should know we’re not supposed to disclose details about our civilian lives,” Multimouse teased, tapping his nose. The familiarity of the gesture jostled his heart.

His eyes darted to her nose, just under her mask, and his heart leapt when he noticed exactly what he was looking for—a light smattering of freckles, in a perfect constellation across her cheeks and the bridge of her nose.

He suddenly realized why all those little sheepish gestures had reminded him so much of Ladybug. He hadn’t seen her like that as Chat Noir, but as _Adrien…_ it all made so much sense.

Right, she had pointed out that his _hair was different._ Why hadn’t he noticed? Ladybug was the only person who had seen Aspik or even knew of his existence—all those timelines had been erased, and he had never even left the sewer. Suddenly, her apology made sense.

He wanted to scream. How was he supposed to function like a normal human being after this revelation?

 _Marinette_ was _Ladybug,_ meaning he’d fallen for her twice—or maybe three times if he counted realizing it only when she was Multimouse. _Marinette_ was the one who came up with all those crazy-brilliant plans, _Marinette_ was his akuma-beating partner-in-crime, and—oh, gosh. _Marinette_ was the guardian of the miraculous box, doing nine times as many patrols as anyone else. Her schedule was probably booked tighter than his own.

“No wonder you’ve been so tired lately,” he blurted out before he could stop himself.

“… Huh?” Multimouse’s brow scrunched in confusion. “Lately?”

Heat bloomed on Aspik’s cheeks. What word rhymed with ‘lately’ that he could pretend he had said instead? His mind was in the middle of exploding and he couldn’t focus on word choice. “Uh—yeah, lately! As in, like, the past hour, because we totally just met. Today. For the first time ever. …Right? Yeah.”

Multimouse narrowed her eyes, giving him a quizzical look. Was it because she’d fallen asleep on the Métro the previous day? What did he mean, ‘no wonder’?

“… Anyway, I’m just gonna shut up now,” Aspik was in the middle of mumbling. “Why don’t we just keep patrolling? Heehee.” He flashed her a cheesy grin.

A familiar cheesy grin. The type of grin Chat made when he thought he’d taken a step too far and wanted Ladybug to show him mercy.

Multimouse’s mouth fell open as a crazy thought occurred to her that would explain all the strange bouts of déjà vu.

“No. You’re… no. No way.” She shook her head and scrunched up her eyes, rubbing them furiously. Such an absurd thought was not supposed to make so much sense. Yet, with his hair wind-tossed and framing his face like that… and if he were Chat, no wonder he seemed so familiar with her. Chat knew Multimouse was Marinette—and if Chat were Adrien, he’d seen her falling asleep in class every day! “Please tell me this is all a crazy dream.”

Aspik’s heart twinged, confused and a bit hurt by her behavior. He had no idea what was going through her mind to have her acting like this.

“Multimouse…” He approached her tentatively and lay a hand on her shoulder. She flinched, then went still, allowing his hand to rest on her. “This isn’t a dream,” he murmured gently, inner freak-out tempered by his concern for her.

Multimouse removed her hands from her eyes and gave him a piercingly intense look, as if he were a lucky charm she was trying to figure out. “I’m sorry if this is weird,” she began with an eerie sense of calm, “but may I kiss you?”

Aspik’s face ignited. “K-kiss? What?”

“I—there’s a reason,” Multimouse exhaled, chest heaving as if she were starting to hyperventilate.

“Breathe, Mousinette,” Aspik soothed, rubbing circles into her shoulder blades, feeling his face still burning to the tips of his ears and the base of his neck. The nickname probably wasn’t a good idea, as it seemed to make her freak out even more. “Multimouse. Relax.”

“Let me kiss you!” she cried, with enough urgency as if her life depended on it.

“O-okay?” Aspik agreed, offering his cheek nervously. How forward would it be of him to assume she meant on the lips?

Multimouse palmed his cheek and turned his head, smashing their lips together.

It was clumsy at first as they realigned, and punctuated with puffs of breath. Without thinking, Aspik wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer, heart pounding madly in his chest.

Multimouse let out a sound that was a mix between a whimper and a hum, then she let the seal of their lips break and leaned her forehead against his. “It really _is_ you,” she breathed. “Mon Chaton.”

“Wait—you—what?” Aspik lifted his forehead off hers and blinked incredulously. “That was a _test?_ A _kiss_ of all things?”

He watched the blush appear on Multimouse’s cheeks, and her gaze skittered to the side. “I couldn’t ask you to detransform,” she muttered, abashed. “And… I was too scared to just ask in case I was just getting crazy ideas due to sleep deprivation. I knew I’d recognize you that way, so.”

 _And besides,_ she thought, _even if my theory was wrong, I wouldn’t ever regret kissing you._

She suddenly gasped, cheeks reddening further. “Wait, I’m so sorry if _you_ regret it—I mean, you said it was okay, but then you gave me your cheek, so maybe you meant—I actually meant on the lips, but maybe you didn’t understand—I mean _clearly_ you misunderstood, because—”

“No, no, Marinette, it’s okay,” he reassured, grasping her wrists gently in an effort to calm her down. “I didn’t mind. I don’t regret it…”

Multimouse gave a sigh of relief, deflating. “Thank goodness.”

“Of all things, though… a _kiss?_ _That’s_ how you decided to check?” Aspik was still slightly in shock over realizing Marinette was Ladybug and having her _kiss_ him, only to have the rug pulled out from under him with the possibility that the kiss hadn’t even been real, if it was only a test.

He wasn’t sure whether to be happy or sad. He felt like he was going to die from all the uncertainty… then a thought struck him. “Wait… was kissing me really that memorable?”

“Shut up… oh my God. I can’t believe it’s you,” Multimouse murmured weakly and pushed his cheek aside until he was looking involuntarily over her shoulder. His stupid, pretty face, framed in blonde-to-teal ombre locks, was too much to look at right now. “Don’t tease me. I… think I’m going to pass out.”

“Oh, no, Miladymouse!” Aspik gasped theatrically. “If you _mouse-t_ pass out, I’ll _cat-_ ch you, don’t worry.”

“This has to be a dream,” Multimouse muttered. “This is getting surreal.”

“Do you dream about me charming you with puns, Mousinette?” Aspik batted his eyes at her, black eyelids fluttering in a way that was entirely too attractive.

“Is _that_ why you were acting so weird around me the first time we patrolled together when you were Chat?” Multimouse asked, busy scanning all her memories to orient herself to the fact that Chat Noir was Adrien.

Aspik shook his head. “No, I honestly didn’t know!” He lowered his voice. “—That you were Ladybug, that is. You know I knew you were Marinette.”

“Why so weird, then?”

Aspik opened his mouth, ready to tell her ‘Because I realized I was in love with _you!’_ But the words caught in his throat. If she thought he was acting weird then, would she think he was weird from now on knowing that he was in love with her? She never had liked the attention from Chat. What if she felt like she couldn’t escape now that she knew he was Adrien, and she grew to resent his presence? Would she not want to hang out and make tarts together anymore?

He shut his mouth. He really loved those moments with Marinette, and her friendship was a treasure to him.

“I was just really excited to have my friend on patrol,” he admitted honestly, rubbing the back of his neck.

Multimouse gasped. “Wait, you knew all along that Multimouse is _me._ You’re Chat!” She gaped, as if she were only just realizing this once again.

“Uh… yeah, we just established that.”

“And you picked _me_ as your bodyguard.”

“Um… yeah?” Aspik ran his fingers along the curve of his lyre nervously. He could relate to Multimouse’s consternation, so he figured the best course of action was to just take it slow and let the facts sink in, no matter how disconcerting it was to watch her react without knowing what she was thinking.

“Why?”

He should have seen it coming, but the question still managed to catch him off-guard. “I, uh—because—you’re one of my best friends. Why _wouldn’t_ I want to spend a whole afternoon with you?”

 _A whole afternoon and the rest of my life,_ he sighed internally.

“Right,” Multimouse’s lips stretched into a possessed-looking smile. “Friends. Yeah, that makes sense.” 

Aspik’s eyes darkened. Something about his answer had obviously displeased her. “What’s wrong? It’s true! I—did I say something wrong?”

“Of course not!” Multimouse turned, her shoulders scrunching toward her ears, the top of her mask sloping all-too-expressively. She checked the timepiece on her jump-rope handle’s usually-hidden interface. “It’s late, isn’t it? Don’t you have a piano lesson soon?”

She was closing off and shutting him out. Aspik could feel it.

“Hey, hold on, Multimouse…” He put a hand on her shoulder as she turned back in the direction of where he now knew was ‘home.’

She looked over her shoulder, and he could see her eyes brimming with tears.

“What’s wrong?” Aspik asked gently, stepping closer.

Multimouse shook her head, and a tear dropped, released from her lashes. She tried to hide her face again, but Aspik cupped her cheek and made her look up.

“You’re crying… what happened? You were fine just a moment ago,” he murmured, wiping the stray tear from the curve of her cheekbone. She looked so beautiful, with her eyes reflecting the sky and glistening brighter than usual from the faint sheen of tears, and her cheeks and lips stained with the faint pink of pent-up emotion.

He wanted to kiss her now, but he dared not. She probably didn’t like him that way. She had kissed him only as a test. It was a strategic means to a goal, a typical Ladybug move. He shouldn’t read into it. It was fake, just like the last one, and the last one… 

His gut twisted with longing. Stroking back her bangs to reveal her forehead, he pressed a kiss right above the edge of the mask. “If I said something to hurt you, I’m sorry, Marinette.”

“No,” Multimouse whispered, looking like it pained her to maintain eye contact, yet not glancing away. “It’s not that. Don’t be sorry. I’m just… being stupid.”

“Don’t say that about yourself, Princess,” Aspik cooed, running a thumb across her cheek. “Your feelings are never stupid.”

Multimouse looked back at him, blinking slowly, more unshed tears pooling at the corners of her eyes. Covering his hand on her cheek with hers, she turned and placed a kiss on his palm, then peeled his hand away from her face and pushed it gently into his chest.

“I-I think we should probably call it a day now.” She smiled weakly and stepped past him, bending her legs to take a jump.

“Wait—” Aspik took hold of her wrist.

“Yes?” She turned with barely-concealed eagerness.

He couldn’t bear to see her walk away looking so sad, not when it was probably his fault and he had no idea what he had done. He didn’t know what to say to fix things, but he wanted to keep her close until he was sure she felt better.

He intended to say something to cheer her up, but instead, curiosity got the better of him—a ravenous curiosity that threatened to eat him alive. “Was that kiss _only_ a test?”

“I… um…” Multimouse bit her lip. “No?”

Aspik’s stomach took a plunge. He couldn’t be sure what she meant, but it gave him hope, enough hope to go out on a limb.

He took the three paces to close the distance between them and clasped her right hand in his. “You know, I fell for you again,” he confessed. “As in you, Multimouse, Marinette. Obviously I couldn’t _purr-_ esist your charms, Milady. Isn’t that _purr-_ oof of how much I love you?”

Multimouse stared at him for a moment, shocked to the core by the sentiment of his words, before her face broke into a smile. She wiped away a tear. “You know, it’s kind of tasteless to confess with puns? And besides, I don’t think cat puns work as well when you’re wearing scales.”

Typical Chat flirting. He was just trying to cheer her up—she shouldn’t read into his words too much.

“Admit it, you find my jokes _hiss-_ terical!” He grinned. He didn’t even care if he’d ruined the moment. She was smiling, so it was worth it.

“You wish.” Multimouse poked Aspik’s nose, but to his chagrin, her expression went blue again.

What was _wrong_ and how could he fix it?

“Anyway, I’ll always be _your_ kitty at heart, Miladybug.” He knelt and deposited a kiss on her knuckles. Maybe he was getting his hopes up too high, but for Ladybug, for Marinette, he would take that little sliver of hope and run with it. “If you’ll have me, that is.”

He looked up at her imploringly, but her stunned expression revealed nothing about the inclinations of her heart.

“I love you,” he sighed, his tone earnest and devoid of all traces of his dramatics. “I’m not joking. You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to, but I just want you to know.”

Despite his words, his eyes burned in a silent petition, ‘Please, _please_ tell me you love me back, or I’ll die.’

“You… love me?” Multimouse repeated in disbelief. “For real?”

“More than life,” Aspik professed. Cliché though it may have been, Multimouse realized it was true.

Breaking out of her stupor, Multimouse knelt along with him, not minding that she landed a bit hard and a pebble stung her kneecap. She wrapped her arms tightly around Aspik, and felt his arms settle around her back. Overwhelming elation, adoration, and relief welled up in her chest, and she felt like she might burst.

“I love you too… I always have,” she murmured against the material of his suit as she realized it was true—ever since day one, Chat Noir had been an emotional anchor, and meant far more to her than she had ever admitted to even herself. “I’ve had the biggest crush on you since you lent me your umbrella… but for a long time, I’ve loved you as my Chat Noir, too.”

“Really?” His voice was laced with hope.

Separating her face from his shoulder, she looked up to find him gazing down at her with a faint smile, eyes deep with affection. “Yes, really.”

He placed a hand on her cheek, questioningly, and she nodded slightly.

Ever so slowly, he leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on her lips.

They stayed like that for a moment, hidden on a rooftop in the heart of Paris, as the tangled knot of their intertwined lives unraveled and smoothed into one piercingly clear truth.

They loved one another.

“So, I guess we should find a new mouse,” Multimouse hummed, smiling against his lips. “And let Luka stay on as Viperion.”

“That would probably be wise,” Aspik murmured, before capturing her lips again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there! Sooooo, what did you think? This series was fun to write. I hope you had fun reading. ^.^


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